DAILYUPDATES

...As witness maintains ex-governor not linked to transactions before court  The Federal High Court, on Tuesday, adjourned to March 9, 2027, for ruling on the admissibility of a document sought to be tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the ongoing alleged money laundering trial of the immediate-past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.  Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned for ruling after listening to the arguments of the prosecution and defence counsel on the admissibility or not of the property-related document, which the defence counsel argued was not before the court during the examination-in-chief of the 10th witness, Mahmoud Abdulazeez.  Earlier, the eighth prosecution witness, Gabriel Ochoche, while being cross-examined by the Defendant's Counsel, Paul Daudu, SAN, had said he could not link the name of the former governor to any of the transactions before the court.  The witness also admitted that he did not have any direct inter...

Niger Delta ex-agitators have reviewed the recent activities and projects of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) saying the priority placed on human capital development by the Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, is repositioning the region. The ex-agitators under the auspices of the Board of Trustees, Critical Stakeholders Forum of Ex-Agitators observed that under Otuaro, PAP had sponsored 8,205 scholarship students in onshore and offshore academic institutions. Describing the number of scholarship beneficiaries under Otuaro as unprecedented and mind-blowing, the ex-agitators said the initiative had created a critical mass of employable people in the Niger Delta. The National Spokesman and Secretary of the group, Nature Dumale Kiegha, said the focus on human capital development was made possible because PAP had undergone foundational and institutional transformation under Otuaro to end the stipend-driven era. Dumale said the focus on creating a critical mass of employable...

A former Majority Leader of the Kogi State House of Assembly and Secretary of the Kogi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Hon. Alhassan Salisu Adakeke, has expressed solidarity with Ahmed Usman Ododo over the restoration of the eleven suppressed State Assembly constituencies. Adakeke described the recent judicial pronouncement ordering the restoration of the constituencies as a landmark victory for minority groups in Kogi State, saying the development would correct decades of political imbalance and inadequate representation. In a statement issued to journalists on Monday, the former lawmaker commended Governor Ododo for what he termed “strategic leadership and unwavering commitment” to ensuring justice for affected communities. “We have no doubt that this struggle enjoyed the support and encouragement of His Excellency, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, who deployed his political will and influence toward achieving this long-awaited political liberation,” Adakeke sai...

The Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON) has inaugurated and inducted new members in Kogi State, intensifying calls for the inclusion of safety education in Nigeria’s primary and secondary school curriculum. At the colourful ceremony, renowned philanthropist and former member representing Igalamela/Odolu State Constituency in the Kogi State House of Assembly, Elder Dr Friday Sani Makama, was elected Chairman of the Kogi State branch alongside other executive members. Speaking at the event, ISPON President, Dr Stephen Udezi, advocated the integration of safety studies into Nigeria’s school curriculum as a strategic measure to curb preventable fatalities in workplaces and communities across the country. “Nigeria as a nation has witnessed a series of avoidable fatalities largely due to poor safety consciousness,” Udezi said. “That is why we are advocating for a law that will ensure safety is taught in our schools from primary through tertiary levels. This will ...